They could have named the store “Cats in the Cradle,” or “The Felines on the Floor.” But it is, of course, The Wind in the Willows, an Old Naples tradition going back to 1969. Then, under the previous owners, The Wind in the Willows was on Third St. South, in the historic Mercantile Building, but for the past 25 years, it has anchored the corner of 5th Ave. South and 8th St. South.
Now The Wind in the Willows, or WITW, has moved, but just around the corner in the same building. Here you can still find the one-of-a-kind women’s clothing, unique gifts, and the store’s three tutu-clad Persian cats, LulaBelle, TinkerBelle, and NannyBelle.
The cats are an integral part of the fabric of WITW, said owner Beth Ressler, and often people will come to the store just to visit with them. The “Belles” even have their own Facebook page. LulaBelle is the most friendly and inquisitive, although as you can see in the accompanying photos, you would not necessarily expect that on seeing her. She has the look of a cross between Jabba the Hutt and Ming the Merciless but walks fearlessly up to strangers looking to get petted on her soft, silky fur. Trying to get a photo of her, the only problem that she kept coming in close to lick the photographer’s face and hands.
The other two Persians, littermates TinkerBelle and NannyBelle, tend to laze in the shop windows or under the display racks, but when mealtime comes, they make tracks to the food, wearing their pink ballerina costumes. The vibe is, in a word, whimsical, and that atmosphere permeates throughout the nearly 1,500 square feet of WITW. The space is one third smaller than the previous location, and that has made Ressler sharpen her focus, and concentrate on her best lines of merchandise…